South Florida group gets $440,000 grant to help Hispanics enroll in health plans

As the Obama administration continues trying to reach Hispanics who may be eligible for benefits under the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Monday announced a $440,000 grant to Hispanic Unity of Florida.

Wasserman Schultz, a South Florida Democrat and chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, said the grant to the Broward County organization will help educate some 24,000 multi-cultural working families about their healthcare options under the ACA. The launch of the Spanish-language version of the ACA enrollment site, CuidadoDeSalud.gov, has been on hold since Oct. 1.

“Grants like these will make sure we can get the information out,” Wasserman Schultz said.

Early reports of health plan enrollment indicate that Hispanic participation has been low. An estimated 1.3 million uninsured Hispanics live in Florida.

“Computer access for our population is always a concern, as well as a lack of knowledge about health insurance,” Hispanic Unity CEO Josie Bacallao said. “Many people have never been insured, or come from countries with single payer systems.”

The grant will allow Bacallao’s organization to add employees to educate and enroll people in qualified health plans. Bacallao said she expects more than 80 percent of Hispanic Unity’s clients will meet the income threshold to apply for a subsidized health plan. Read more.

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This blog is produced in partnership with Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan health policy research and communication organization not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.